TURKEY S IMAGE AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "TURKEY S IMAGE AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION"

Transcription

1 TURKEY S IMAGE AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION Turkey can justifiably condemn the policies and actions of previous regimes or governments while still asserting pride in its history, the author argues. He subsequently points out that confronting its own history with honesty will only strengthen Turkey domestically and internationally. Among other suggestions, the author calls for Turkey to suspend all its paid lobbying activities with respect to congressional resolutions about 1915 and instead dedicate resources to examine the events of 1915 authoritatively, independently, and openly. Osman Bengür* * Osman Bengür, a Turkish-American former candidate for the U.S. Congress, is a businessman/investment banker based in Washington DC and a columnist for 43

2 President Obama s recent visit to Turkey underscores the growing importance that the United States places on Turkish cooperation as it seeks to address a profound set of problems in the region such as withdrawal from Iraq without enabling a new round of sectarian violence, support of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and the containment of Iran s growing nuclear ambitions. For these and otherreasons, the relationship between Turkey and the U.S. has never been more important. Turkey s strategic value to the U.S. is undeniable. Turkey s geographic position, its young population and, until the recent global slowdown, its dynamic economy make it well positioned to become an increasingly influential player in political, economic and security affairs in Europe and the Middle East political affairs. Yet as the U.S. focuses increasing attention on its relations with Turkey, the long shadow cast by the Armenian question could foil both countries desire to work more closely together and hinder Turkey s larger ambitions. The efforts of the Armenian diaspora and support from key politicians in the U.S. and Europe will ensure that the issue will not go away anytime soon. The lack of closure has put Turkey on the defensive and continues to damage Turkey s image in the world and serves as a metaphor for those who still harbor prejudices against Turkey. More importantly, it casts a poor light on the positive progress being made in today s Turkey and puts Turkey s real friends in a difficult position. And, for those with a narrow agenda, it negatively impacts Turkey s importance as a partner and ally of the U.S. and its ability to address other shared issues of concern including the fight against terrorism, transportation of energy from the Caspian, the preservation of Iraq s territorial integrity, and the containment of Iran s nuclear ambitions. To date, Turkey has been mostly successful in its efforts to fight genocide resolutions. So, why should Turkey care about finding a satisfactory solution to the Armenian question? During President Obama s recent visit to Turkey, his measured speech to the Turkish Parliament underscored the importance of the Armenian question as he carefully addressed the issue of the massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 by noting that he had not changed his views and urging Turkey to confront her past. While Turkish government officials and parliamentarians certainly were aware that as a candidate, President Obama expressed the belief that what happened in 44

3 1915 was genocide, they may have anticipated that the President, like his predecessors who pulled their punches when confronted with threats from Turkey that any acknowledgment of a genocide would cause serious (although unspecified) damage to relations would have found a way to skirt the question of genocide during their presidency. So they must have been surprised that Obama raised the issue, however diplomatically he did so. The President s visit to Turkey and his subsequent non-mention of the G word when he addressed the Armenian community in his Remembrance Day message could be interpreted as justifying Turkey s long standing strategy to fight genocide resolutions with threats that such resolutions will damage relations with the U.S. But Turks should not be so confident. If President Obama pulled his punches in his Ankara address in order to show respect for and his desire to cooperate with Turkey, he may not in the future. In fact, the new U.S. President has shown in other situations, most recently in pressing Israel on a Palestinian solution, that he is not afraid to take on controversial issues and challenge the U.S. s longstanding friends. Another example that the Armenian question is not going to go away is that yet another resolution has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Because of the enormity of other issues confronting Congress at this time and the desire not to add to Obama administration s foreign policy headaches, it does not appear likely that the resolution will get much traction even from sympathetic members of Congress. The dual challenges of a global economic recession and foreign policy challenges in the Middle East buttresses the argument that the timing for such a resolution could not be worse. It is a wasteful diversion for the U.S. Congress to occupy itself with resolutions of this nature when there are other issues of more importance. Nevertheless, both Armenian and Turkish lobbyists will wage yet another battle to press their respective positions. By some accounts, approximately 70 percent of the Turkish Embassy s time in Washington is spent trying to persuade leading Americans to support the Turkish position on the Armenian question. This is an enormous amount of time to spend on one issue and, by necessity, relegates other issues of more immediate importance into the background. So far those lobbying efforts have been successful, but sooner or later, a time may come when the word genocide will be used officially regardless of how the Turks feel. Many friends of Turkey, including members of the U.S. Congress, are frustrated Volume 8 Number 1 45 TURKISH POLICY QUARTERLY

4 with Turkey s intransigence on the Armenian issue which they view as self-defeating for Turkey s aspirations. And Turks need to confront the reality that their success in defeating genocide resolutions is not necessarily because of the historical validity of their argument. The uncomfortable truth is that while friends of Turkey may have sympathy for Turkey and its arguments that the events of 1915 were not genocide and that Muslims suffered too, they believe that Turkey should acknowledge that it was a terrible policy, not unlike the ethnic cleansing that Muslims suffered recently in Bosnia, and express more empathy for the fact that hundreds of thousands of Armenians died as a result of the Ottoman government policy to deport Armenians. One solution to the question of whether the events should be characterized as genocide may come from Prime Minister Erdoğan s proposal to establish a commission to examine the historical record. Such a commission s findings may prove conclusive if evidence is discovered in Turkish and Armenian archives to support one position or the other. It is not unusual that history is often rewritten as new facts and different perspectives are considered. New historical information is constantly being discovered that changes perceptions about events that were once seen to be settled conclusively. As new archival information is examined, Turkey may well find justification for its position that the massacres were a tragic consequence of war and not a deliberate policy. But it is also possible that no amount of historical research will be conclusive or satisfy either the Armenian or Turkish position. Regardless of whether the massacres can be characterized as genocide, it is ironic that the modern Republic of Turkey, founded by Atatürk, would want to defend the actions of a dysfunctional and disastrous Ottoman government that Atatürk eventually opposed. In his excellent history of the Middle East during the period surrounding World War I, A Peace to End All Peace, author David Fromkin writes how Atatürk, in open rebellion to the Sultan who was still titular head of what remained of Ottoman Turkey, sought to separate himself from the policies of the disgraced Ottoman leaders in establishing the new Turkish Republic. Moreover, Atatürk was a bitter enemy of Enver, a leader of the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and one of the architects of policy to expel the Armenian population from Eastern Turkey. Fromkin documents how Enver sought to undercut Atatürk s efforts to form a new nation out of the ruins of the war. 46

5 Turkey can justifiably condemn the policies and actions of previous regimes or governments while still asserting pride in its history. In fact, most nations of consequence, foremost among them the United States, have had to confront unpleasant truths about their history. The United States fought a civil war over slavery and yet it took 100 years for a civil rights act to pass that gave African- Americans the equal protection that the Constitution promises. The U.S. has also recognized injustices done to other groups such as Native Americans and Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated in camps during World War II only because of their Japanese heritage. In acknowledging these injustices, the United States has become a better country for all its citizens. In announcing the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and in renouncing the use of torture techniques, President Obama has acknowledged to the world that the U.S. has made mistakes. He did so in order to promote broader U.S. policy objectives in the Middle East while strongly promoting the best of America: the values of freedom and democracy that have made America a great nation. For Turkey to realize its ambition as a regional power, and if indeed it values democratic ideals, it is time for it to take steps, as President Obama said, to confront its own history. As President Obama said in his speech at Cairo University where he spoke about a new beginning in relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world: It is easier to blame others than to look inward we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. I think Turkey would do well to follow this example. As a maturing democracy, the time is right for Turkey to take the right path to break the impasse on the Armenian question by making several grand gestures. This is how: One would be to announce that it is suspending all its paid lobbying activities with respect to congressional resolutions and instead, that it will dedicate that money to support the work of a historical commission to examine what happened. To ensure its independence from the Turkish Government, the commission would be composed of leading international historians, including Armenian historians that represent all views on the matter to engage in further comprehensive research to compile an authoritative report on the events of 1915 including an index of archival materials. Turkey would open its archives and Armenians should be asked to do the same. Turkey should also form a commission to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the 1915 deportations and massacres. This could include historical symposia and a commemoration of a memorial to Armenians and Muslims who died. Volume 8 Number 1 47 TURKISH POLICY QUARTERLY

6 A genocide resolution may still occupy some in Congress, but Turkey s actions could defuse its impact. The Turkish Government should proceed with the commission regardless of the status of a congressional genocide resolution or Armenian acceptance of the commission. And, if such a resolution should pass, Turkey should allow the commission s work to continue and forbear taking any action that might harm its relations with the U.S. Whether other governments or historians decide to label the events of 1915 as genocide or not is not important. What is important is that Turkey not only allows but promotes open and honest debate on the events of 1915 and the attitudes that allowed such a thing to happen. This open debate and self-searching would have a far reaching impact on Turkey. First, it would confirm that Turkey has reached the point in its evolution as a democratic state to openly examine its past. It would earn Turkey enormous good will that would advance Turkey s goals of EU membership and of playing a more prominent role in regional affairs. It would not force groups that are otherwise supportive of Turkey to take sides against Turkey on this issue. It would serve to strengthen U.S.-Turkish ties at this critical moment when the need for cooperation between the two countries is paramount. And finally, it would be an important step towards reconciliation and healing for both Turks and Armenians. 48

On the Road to 2015 CAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION LEAD TO TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION?

On the Road to 2015 CAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION LEAD TO TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION? On the Road to 2015 CAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION LEAD TO TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION? PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 339 September 2014 Sergey Minasyan Caucasus Institute (Yerevan) The one-hundredth

More information

What may be the possible reservations of Turkey to access the ICC Rome Statute

What may be the possible reservations of Turkey to access the ICC Rome Statute Ankara University From the SelectedWorks of devrim aydin 2013 What may be the possible reservations of Turkey to access the ICC Rome Statute devrim aydin Available at: https://works.bepress.com/devrim_aydin/4/

More information

Obama s speech in Turkey: full text of speech to the parliament

Obama s speech in Turkey: full text of speech to the parliament Obama s speech in Turkey: full text of speech to the parliament April 7, 2009 (http://positivity.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/obamas-speech-in-turkey-full-text-ofspeech-to-the-parliament/) Remarks of President

More information

Renewed Escalation of Erdogan-Gulen Conflict Increases Internal Polarisation

Renewed Escalation of Erdogan-Gulen Conflict Increases Internal Polarisation Position Paper Renewed Escalation of Erdogan-Gulen Conflict Increases Internal Polarisation This paper was originally written in Arabic by: Al Jazeera Center for Studies Translated into English by: The

More information

ASSESSMENT REPORT. Does Erdogan s Victory Herald the Start of a New Era for Turkey?

ASSESSMENT REPORT. Does Erdogan s Victory Herald the Start of a New Era for Turkey? ASSESSMENT REPORT Does Erdogan s Victory Herald the Start of a New Era for Turkey? Policy Analysis Unit - ACRPS Aug 2014 Does Erdogan s Victory Herald the Start of a New Era for Turkey? Series: Assessment

More information

Democracy 101: What Lessons will America Teach Iraq? David D. Peck, Ph.D.

Democracy 101: What Lessons will America Teach Iraq? David D. Peck, Ph.D. Democracy 101: What Lessons will America Teach Iraq? David D. Peck, Ph.D. As a long-term military occupation and guerilla war take shape in Iraq, Americans are increasingly asking what should we do next?

More information

The Future of the U.S.-Turkey Relationship

The Future of the U.S.-Turkey Relationship The Future of the U.S.-Turkey Relationship By R. Nicholas Burns Under Secretary for Political Affairs Remarks at the Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) Washington, DC September 13, 2007 I am

More information

Davutoglu as Turkey's PM and Future Challenges

Davutoglu as Turkey's PM and Future Challenges Position Papers Davutoglu as Turkey's PM and Future Challenges AlJazeera Centre for Studies Al Jazeera Center for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 jcforstudies-en@aljazeera.net 28 August 2014 [AlJazeera] Abstract

More information

10/15/2013. The Globalization of Terrorism. What is Terrorism? What is Terrorism?

10/15/2013. The Globalization of Terrorism. What is Terrorism? What is Terrorism? The Globalization of Terrorism Global Issues 621 Chapter 23 Page 364 What is Terrorism? 10/15/2013 Terrorism 2 What is Terrorism? Unfortunately, the term terrorism is one that has become a part of our

More information

U.S. Image Still Poor in the Middle East Pew Global Attitudes surveys of 50 nations in 2002 and 2003 found that the U.S. Favorable Opinion of the U.S.

U.S. Image Still Poor in the Middle East Pew Global Attitudes surveys of 50 nations in 2002 and 2003 found that the U.S. Favorable Opinion of the U.S. Testimony of Andrew Kohut United States House of Representatives International Relations Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations November 10, 2005 Thank you for the opportunity to help this

More information

Turkey s Rise as a Regional Power and its Role in the European Neighbourhood (ARI)

Turkey s Rise as a Regional Power and its Role in the European Neighbourhood (ARI) Turkey s Rise as a Regional Power and its Role in the European Neighbourhood (ARI) Deniz Devrim and Evelina Schulz * Theme: Turkey has a growing strategic role in its overlapping neighbourhood with the

More information

Political Sciences. Политология. Turkey-Armenia Relations After Andrius R. Malinauskas

Political Sciences. Политология. Turkey-Armenia Relations After Andrius R. Malinauskas Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania 44 Gedimino street, Kaunas 44240 PhD student E-mail: malinauskas.andrius8@gmail.com Political Sciences Политология Turkey-Armenia Relations After 2008 Andrius R. Malinauskas

More information

FRANCE AND TURKEY: NEW HORIZONS FOR A LONG- STANDING RELATIONSHIP

FRANCE AND TURKEY: NEW HORIZONS FOR A LONG- STANDING RELATIONSHIP FRANCE AND TURKEY: NEW HORIZONS FOR A LONG- STANDING RELATIONSHIP The President of the French Republic has marked France s will to establish a stable and trusting relationship with Turkey. This relationship

More information

1/13/ What is Terrorism? The Globalization of Terrorism. What is Terrorism? Geography of Terrorism. Global Patterns of Terrorism

1/13/ What is Terrorism? The Globalization of Terrorism. What is Terrorism? Geography of Terrorism. Global Patterns of Terrorism What is Terrorism? The Globalization of Terrorism Global Issues 621 Chapter 23 Page 364 1/13/2009 Terrorism 2 Unfortunately, the term terrorism is one that has become a part of our everyday vocabulary

More information

NERVOUS NEIGHBORS: FIVE YEARS AFTER THE ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS

NERVOUS NEIGHBORS: FIVE YEARS AFTER THE ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS NERVOUS NEIGHBORS: FIVE YEARS AFTER THE ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS Five years after the signing of the protocols that aimed at normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, the author argues that

More information

Speech on the 41th Munich Conference on Security Policy 02/12/2005

Speech on the 41th Munich Conference on Security Policy 02/12/2005 Home Welcome Press Conferences 2005 Speeches Photos 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Organisation Chronology Speaker: Schröder, Gerhard Funktion: Federal Chancellor, Federal Republic of Germany Nation/Organisation:

More information

Can Obama Restore the US Image in the Middle East?

Can Obama Restore the US Image in the Middle East? Can Obama Restore the US Image in the Middle East? December 22, 2008 Analysis by Steven Kull Reprinted from the Harvard International Review Sitting in a focus group, a young Jordanian bewailed America's

More information

The Dispensability of Allies

The Dispensability of Allies The Dispensability of Allies May 17, 2017 Trump brings unpredictability to his talks with Middle East leaders, but some things we already know. By George Friedman U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Turkish

More information

STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY FAROUK KASRAWI FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY FAROUK KASRAWI FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY FAROUK KASRAWI FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS SIXTIETH SESSION NEW YORK, 22 SEPTEMBER

More information

BETWEEN INCOMPTENCE AND CULPABILITY:

BETWEEN INCOMPTENCE AND CULPABILITY: Review: BETWEEN INCOMPTENCE AND CULPABILITY: Assessing the Diplomacy of Japan s Foreign Ministry from Pearl Harbor to Potsdam by Seishiro Sugihara (University Press of America, Inc.) Review by Date Kunishige,

More information

Congressional Testimony

Congressional Testimony Congressional Testimony FOREIGN ASSISTANCE, SUPPORT FOR EXTREMISM AND PUBLIC OPINION IN MUSLIM MAJORITY COUNTRIES Written Testimony of Kenneth Ballen President Terror Free Tomorrow: The Center for Public

More information

Michael Walzer, arguably the

Michael Walzer, arguably the Walzer s War Michael Walzer Arguing About War Yale, 2004, 208 pages. Reviewed by Michael S. Kochin Michael Walzer, arguably the most influential living American political philosopher, studies our moral

More information

Anonymous Architecture /26/2006

Anonymous Architecture /26/2006 Anonymous Architecture 449 11/26/2006 "We are all different; because of that, each of us has something different and special to offer and each and every one of us can make a difference by not being indifferent."

More information

After the Cold War. Europe and North America Section 4. Main Idea

After the Cold War. Europe and North America Section 4. Main Idea Main Idea Content Statements: After the Cold War The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the Cold War came to an end, bringing changes to Europe and leaving the United States as the world s only superpower.

More information

AMERICA S GLOBAL IMAGE REMAINS MORE POSITIVE THAN CHINA S BUT MANY SEE CHINA BECOMING WORLD S LEADING POWER

AMERICA S GLOBAL IMAGE REMAINS MORE POSITIVE THAN CHINA S BUT MANY SEE CHINA BECOMING WORLD S LEADING POWER AMERICA S GLOBAL IMAGE REMAINS MORE POSITIVE THAN CHINA S BUT MANY SEE CHINA BECOMING WORLD S LEADING POWER PEW RESEARCH CENTER Released: July 18, 2013 Overview Publics around the world believe the global

More information

Making the Case on National Security as Elections Approach

Making the Case on National Security as Elections Approach Date: September 27, 2010 To: Interested Parties From: Stanley B. Greenberg, James Carville, Jeremy Rosner, Democracy Corps/GQR Jon Cowan, Matt Bennett, Andy Johnson, Third Way Making the Case on National

More information

HOW TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE EU? THEORIES AND PRACTICE

HOW TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE EU? THEORIES AND PRACTICE HOW TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE EU? THEORIES AND PRACTICE In the European Union, negotiation is a built-in and indispensable dimension of the decision-making process. There are written rules, unique moves, clearly

More information

DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY, : RECORDS OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CLASSIFIED FILES

DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY, : RECORDS OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CLASSIFIED FILES http://gdc.gale.com/archivesunbound/ DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY, 1950-1959: RECORDS OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CLASSIFIED FILES This collection of State Department documents provides access to unique primary

More information

TURKEY - ARMENIA RELATIONS

TURKEY - ARMENIA RELATIONS T.C. BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ AVRUPA ÇALIŞMALARI MERKEZİ ÖĞRENCİ FORUMU TURKEY - ARMENIA RELATIONS Within The Framework of EU Boğaziçi University Center for European Studies Student Forum 5/12/2015 CONTENTS

More information

TURKEY-EU RELATIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

TURKEY-EU RELATIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS TURKEY-EU RELATIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS Turkey s integration with Europe is not a painless process. The reluctance of the important EU politicians to make concessions on central

More information

The EU in a world of rising powers

The EU in a world of rising powers SPEECH/09/283 Benita Ferrero-Waldner European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy The EU in a world of rising powers Chancellor s Seminar, St Antony s College, University

More information

From King Stork to King Log: America s Negative Message Overseas

From King Stork to King Log: America s Negative Message Overseas From King Stork to King Log: America s Negative Message Overseas Anthony H. Cordesman October 26, 2015 There are so many different views of America overseas that any effort to generalize is dangerous,

More information

IRANIAN PUBLIC ON CURRENT ISSUES

IRANIAN PUBLIC ON CURRENT ISSUES INTRODUCTION IRANIAN PUBLIC ON CURRENT ISSUES Perhaps no two presidents have dominated headlines during 2009 the way Barack Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have. Obama s inauguration in January not only

More information

Special meeting in observance of the. International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Special meeting in observance of the. International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People International Progress Organization Organisation Internationale pour le Progrès Special meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People held by the Committee on

More information

CAUCASUS 2008 International Conference Yerevan, Armenia. The U.S. and the Caucasus in 2008

CAUCASUS 2008 International Conference Yerevan, Armenia. The U.S. and the Caucasus in 2008 CAUCASUS 2008 International Conference Yerevan, Armenia 28-29 April 2009 The U.S. and the Caucasus in 2008 Richard Giragosian Director Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) ԱՄՆ

More information

Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index

Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index Volume 5 Fall PUBLIC AGENDA Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index Loss of Faith: Public s Belief in Effective Solutions Eroding A Report from Public Agenda by Scott Bittle and Jonathan Rochkind with

More information

FINAL/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

FINAL/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Statement of General Stanley A. McChrystal, USA Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force House Armed Services Committee December 8, 2009 Mr. Chairman, Congressman McKeon, distinguished members

More information

Statement of Dennis C. Blair before The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate January 22, 2009

Statement of Dennis C. Blair before The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate January 22, 2009 Statement of Dennis C. Blair before The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate January 22, 2009 Madam Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Members of the Committee: It is a distinct honor

More information

The Israel-Lebanon War of 2006 and the Ceyhan-Haifa Pipeline

The Israel-Lebanon War of 2006 and the Ceyhan-Haifa Pipeline - Iakovos Alhadeff The Israel-Lebanon War of 2006 and the Ceyhan-Haifa Pipeline By Iakovos Alhadeff Release Date : 2014-09-13 Genre : Politics & Current Affairs FIle Size : 0.65 MB is Politics & Current

More information

Gulf, do as well. And, the Saudis and Emiratis certainly understand this may be a necessary buffer for to ensure their protection as events unfold.

Gulf, do as well. And, the Saudis and Emiratis certainly understand this may be a necessary buffer for to ensure their protection as events unfold. U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations U.S. Policy Toward Syria Testimony of Ambassador Dennis Ross Counselor, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy April 11, 2013 Chairman Menendez, Ranking

More information

Turkey: A New Nationwide Poll Turkish Views on U.S. Congress Armenian Resolutions

Turkey: A New Nationwide Poll Turkish Views on U.S. Congress Armenian Resolutions Turkey: A New Nationwide Poll Turkish Views on U.S. Congress Armenian Resolutions www.terrorfreetomorrow.org www.ari.org.tr www.arifoundation.org 2007 Results of the Survey: Rarely does the Congress of

More information

FEUTURE EU 28 Country Report

FEUTURE EU 28 Country Report April 2017 FEUTURE EU 28 Country Report Ireland Hasmik Grigoryan, University College Dublin 1. History of EU-Turkey Relations 1 1.1. Position of Ireland on the accession of Turkey Ireland is in favour

More information

The following text is an edited transcript of Professor. Fisher s remarks at the November 13 meeting. Afghanistan: Negotiation in the Face of Terror

The following text is an edited transcript of Professor. Fisher s remarks at the November 13 meeting. Afghanistan: Negotiation in the Face of Terror 1 The following text is an edited transcript of Professor Fisher s remarks at the November 13 meeting. Afghanistan: Negotiation in the Face of Terror Roger Fisher Whether negotiation will be helpful or

More information

Domestic policy WWI. Foreign Policy. Balance of Power

Domestic policy WWI. Foreign Policy. Balance of Power Domestic policy WWI The decisions made by a government regarding issues that occur within the country. Healthcare, education, Social Security are examples of domestic policy issues. Foreign Policy Caused

More information

Obama Closes the Democrats Historical National Security Gap

Obama Closes the Democrats Historical National Security Gap Date: May 19, 2009 To: From: Friends of Democracy Corps and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Stan Greenberg and James Carville, Democracy Corps Jeremy Rosner and Kristi Fuksa, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research

More information

Obama s Imperial War. Wayne Price. An Anarchist Response

Obama s Imperial War. Wayne Price. An Anarchist Response The expansion of the US attack on Afghanistan and Pakistan is not due to the personal qualities of Obama but to the social system he serves: the national state and the capitalist economy. The nature of

More information

Theory and the Levels of Analysis

Theory and the Levels of Analysis Theory and the Levels of Analysis Chapter 4 Ø Not be frightened by the word theory Ø Definitions of theory: p A theory is a proposition, or set of propositions, that tries to analyze, explain or predict

More information

Draft Final Communiqué of

Draft Final Communiqué of Draft Final Communiqué of the 7 th Coordination Meeting of the Heads of Delegation of the OIC Member States Taking Part in the 34 th Session of UNESCO General Conference Paris, 18 October 2007 Draft Final

More information

Statement by High Representative/Vice President Catherine Ashton on the situation in Syria

Statement by High Representative/Vice President Catherine Ashton on the situation in Syria EUROPEAN COMMISSION Catherine Ashton EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Statement by High Representative/Vice President Catherine

More information

Turkish - Armenian. Rapprochement: Renewed Interest? CAUCASUS REVIEW BY ZAUR SHIRIYEV*

Turkish - Armenian. Rapprochement: Renewed Interest? CAUCASUS REVIEW BY ZAUR SHIRIYEV* * Turkish - Armenian Rapprochement: Renewed Interest? T he international media has shown renewed interest in the revitalization of Turkish-Armenian relations, which has spawned a number of conferences

More information

THE EU AND THE SECURITY COUNCIL Current Challenges and Future Prospects

THE EU AND THE SECURITY COUNCIL Current Challenges and Future Prospects THE EU AND THE SECURITY COUNCIL Current Challenges and Future Prospects H.E. Michael Spindelegger Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination Woodrow Wilson School

More information

Promises. President Obama s First Two Years in Office

Promises. President Obama s First Two Years in Office Promises Kept President Obama s First Two Years in Office Let s be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here. President Barack Obama The challenges that President Obama and

More information

This is the End? Last Two Weeks

This is the End? Last Two Weeks This is the End? Last Two Weeks Quick Questions (May 11-12) 1.) What was President Carter s successful diplomacy that brought temporary peace to the Middle East called? a.) Suez Canal Crisis b.) Potsdam

More information

PAMUN XVI RESEARCH REPORT Reevaluating the role of the United Nations (through the UN charter)

PAMUN XVI RESEARCH REPORT Reevaluating the role of the United Nations (through the UN charter) PAMUN XVI RESEARCH REPORT Reevaluating the role of the United Nations (through the UN charter) Introduction of Topic Since its creation in 1945, the United Nations has acted as a major player in global

More information

Freedom vs. Security: Guaranteeing Civil Liberties in a World of Terrorist Threats

Freedom vs. Security: Guaranteeing Civil Liberties in a World of Terrorist Threats Freedom vs. Security: Guaranteeing Civil Liberties in a World of Terrorist Threats Speech by the Federal Minister of the Interior Dr Wolfgang Schäuble for the Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance

More information

History (HIST) History (HIST) 1

History (HIST) History (HIST) 1 History (HIST) 1 History (HIST) HIST 110 Fndn. of American Liberty 3.0 SH [GEH] A survey of American history from the colonial era to the present which looks at how the concept of liberty has both changed

More information

Policy Memo. Legislation. DATE: July 11, SUBJECT: Preventing Mass Atrocities: A Road Map for Legislators

Policy Memo. Legislation. DATE: July 11, SUBJECT: Preventing Mass Atrocities: A Road Map for Legislators Policy Memo DATE: July 11, 2017 SUBJECT: Preventing Mass Atrocities: A Road Map for Legislators No society is immune to changing dynamics that can lead to mass atrocities. Although all individuals share

More information

Book Review. David L. Phillips, 2005, Unsilencing the Past: Track Two. Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation, New York and

Book Review. David L. Phillips, 2005, Unsilencing the Past: Track Two. Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation, New York and Book Review David L. Phillips, 2005, Unsilencing the Past: Track Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation, New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books, 168 pp. Reviewed by Dr. Ohannes Geukjian 314 To

More information

January 04, 1956 Abstract of Conversation between Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Pakistani Ambassador to China Sultanuddin Ahmad

January 04, 1956 Abstract of Conversation between Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Pakistani Ambassador to China Sultanuddin Ahmad Digital Archive International History Declassified digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org January 04, 1956 Abstract of Conversation between Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Pakistani Ambassador to China Sultanuddin

More information

Report. Deep Differences over Reconciliation Process in Afghanistan

Report. Deep Differences over Reconciliation Process in Afghanistan Report Deep Differences over Reconciliation Process in Afghanistan Dr. Fatima Al-Smadi * Al Jazeera Center for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 jcforstudies-en@aljazeera.net http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/

More information

Obama and the World: One Year Later

Obama and the World: One Year Later Event report Obama and the World: One Year Later With Jean-Marc Coicaud and Tom Farer Midday Forum 30 March 2010 On 30 th March, UNU-ONY held a conversation with Tom Farer, Dean of the Josef Korbel School

More information

Two Global Leaders with Very Different Global Perceptions

Two Global Leaders with Very Different Global Perceptions Two Global Leaders with Very Different Global Perceptions Gallup International Association opinion poll in 55 countries across the globe Disclaimer: Gallup International Association or its members are

More information

Elections and Obama's Foreign Policy

Elections and Obama's Foreign Policy Page 1 of 5 Published on STRATFOR (http://www.stratfor.com) Home > Elections and Obama's Foreign Policy Choices Elections and Obama's Foreign Policy Choices Created Sep 14 2010-03:56 By George Friedman

More information

Russian and Western Engagement in the Broader Middle East

Russian and Western Engagement in the Broader Middle East Chapter 8 Russian and Western Engagement in the Broader Middle East Mark N. Katz There are many problems in the greater Middle East that would be in the common interest of the United States, its EU/NATO

More information

Theory and the Levels of Analysis

Theory and the Levels of Analysis Theory and the Levels of Analysis Chapter 3 Ø Not be frightened by the word theory Ø Definitions of theory: p A theory is a proposition, or set of propositions, that tries to analyze, explain or predict

More information

Policy Brief: The Working Group on the Western Balkans

Policy Brief: The Working Group on the Western Balkans Policy Brief: The Working Group on the Western Balkans Although the EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration, progress has stalled. This series of working

More information

SWEDEN STATEMENT. His Excellency Mr. Göran Persson Prime Minister of Sweden

SWEDEN STATEMENT. His Excellency Mr. Göran Persson Prime Minister of Sweden SWEDEN STATEMENT by His Excellency Mr. Göran Persson Prime Minister of Sweden In the General Debate of the 59 th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations New York 21 September 2004

More information

CLINGENDAEL FUTURES TURKEY AT THE CROSSROADS: EXTERNAL RELATIONS WITH EUROPE, RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST DECEMBER 2013

CLINGENDAEL FUTURES TURKEY AT THE CROSSROADS: EXTERNAL RELATIONS WITH EUROPE, RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST DECEMBER 2013 CLINGENDAEL FUTURES TURKEY AT THE CROSSROADS: EXTERNAL RELATIONS WITH EUROPE, RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST DECEMBER 2013 THE FOLLOWING IS THE VISUAL SUMMARY OF FUTURES RESEARCH CONDUCTED ON TURKEY & ITS

More information

INDIA AND PAKISTAN: STEPS TOWARDS RAPPROCHEMENT

INDIA AND PAKISTAN: STEPS TOWARDS RAPPROCHEMENT Prepared Testimony of STEPHEN P. COPHEN Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution Before the SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE January 28, 2004 INDIA AND PAKISTAN: STEPS TOWARDS

More information

ASTANA DECLARATION PEACE, COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

ASTANA DECLARATION PEACE, COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OIC/CFM-38/2011/ASTANA DEC/FINAL ASTANA DECLARATION PEACE, COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ADOPTED BY THE THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE OIC COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS ASTANA REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN 26-28 RAJAB

More information

PRO/CON: Should U.S. governors be able to block Syrian refugees?

PRO/CON: Should U.S. governors be able to block Syrian refugees? PRO/CON: Should U.S. governors be able to block Syrian refugees? By Tribune News Service, adapted by Newsela staff on 12.18.15 Word Count 1,633 Syrian refugees wait at Marka Airport in Amman, Jordan, on

More information

America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas No Global Warming Alarm in the U.S., China

America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas No Global Warming Alarm in the U.S., China Page 1 of 5 06.26.06 Receive notification of releases. Enter your email address: America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas No Global Warming Alarm in the U.S., China Released:

More information

Social Studies Related Issue #2: Should nations pursue national interest? Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy.

Social Studies Related Issue #2: Should nations pursue national interest? Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy. Social Studies 20-2 Related Issue #2: Should nations pursue national interest? Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy How do national interest and foreign policy shape each other? Name: Chapter

More information

Remarks by. The Honorable Aram Sarkissian Chairman, Republic Party of Armenia. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Tuesday, February 13 th

Remarks by. The Honorable Aram Sarkissian Chairman, Republic Party of Armenia. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Tuesday, February 13 th Remarks by The Honorable Aram Sarkissian Chairman, Republic Party of Armenia Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Tuesday, February 13 th INTRODUCTION I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation

More information

Unit 5: empowering women globally

Unit 5: empowering women globally Susan Retik lost her husband David on American Airlines Flight 11, which was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. At the time, they had two children, and Susan was

More information

Turkey's government stands strong, stops coup attempt

Turkey's government stands strong, stops coup attempt Turkey's government stands strong, stops coup attempt By Patrick Kingsley, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.19.16 Word Count 784 People chant slogans as they gather at a pro-government rally

More information

WAR AND PEACE: Possible Seminar Paper Topics

WAR AND PEACE: Possible Seminar Paper Topics . Professor Moore Georgetown, Spring 2012 WAR AND PEACE: Possible Seminar Paper Topics The purpose of the paper requirement is to provide students with an opportunity to do individual research and analysis

More information

VARIOUS VOICES ON TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS

VARIOUS VOICES ON TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS VARIOUS VOICES ON TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS This compilation of perspectives presents the questionnaires produced by an ongoing project of the Yerevan-based Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional

More information

Report of the EI/ETUCE Mission to Ankara

Report of the EI/ETUCE Mission to Ankara Report of the EI/ETUCE Mission to Ankara 27-28 February 2017 Background After de failed Coup d'etat on July 15 th 2016 Turkey, the situation had been very difficult with basic human and Trade Unions rights

More information

TEXTS ADOPTED. Human rights situation in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars

TEXTS ADOPTED. Human rights situation in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars European Parliament 2014-2019 TEXTS ADOPTED P8_TA(2016)0043 Human rights situation in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars European Parliament resolution of 4 February 2016 on the human rights situation

More information

Rise and Fall of a President

Rise and Fall of a President Rise and Fall of a President Lyndon B Johnson withdraws from Presidential race Robert F Kennedy assassinated after CA primary VP Hubert Humphrey wins Democratic nomination Chicago Convention Anti war faction

More information

Remarks of Andrew Kohut to The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD FEBRUARY 27, 2003

Remarks of Andrew Kohut to The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD FEBRUARY 27, 2003 1150 18 th Street, N.W., Suite 975 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel (202) 293-3126 Fax (202) 293-2569 Remarks of Andrew Kohut to The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE

More information

Center for Strategic & Regional Studies

Center for Strategic & Regional Studies Center for Strategic & Regional Studies Kabul Weekly Analysis-Issue Number 246 (March 31-7 April, 2018) Weekly Analysis is one of CSRS publications, which significantly analyses weekly economic and political

More information

,..., MEMORANDUM ORDER (January 1!L, 2009)

,..., MEMORANDUM ORDER (January 1!L, 2009) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MOHAMMED EL GHARANI, Petitioner, v. GEORGE W. BUSH, et at., Respondents. Civil Case No. 05-429 (RJL,..., MEMORANDUM ORDER (January 1!L, 2009 Petitioner

More information

4: TELESCOPING THE TIMES

4: TELESCOPING THE TIMES The Americans (Survey) Chapter 4: TELESCOPING THE TIMES The War for Independence CHAPTER OVERVIEW The colonists clashes with the British government lead them to declare independence. With French aid, they

More information

Constitutional amendments in Turkey: Predictions and implications

Constitutional amendments in Turkey: Predictions and implications POLICY BRIEF Constitutional amendments in Turkey: Predictions and implications Al Jazeera Centre for Studies Al Jazeera Center for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 jcforstudies-en@aljazeera.net http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/

More information

The Middle East and Russia: American attitudes on Trump s foreign policy

The Middle East and Russia: American attitudes on Trump s foreign policy Shibley Telhami, Director Stella Rouse, Associate Director The Middle East and Russia: American attitudes on Trump s foreign policy Survey Methodology The survey was carried out November 1-6, 2017 online

More information

There have been bleak moments in America s history, battles we were engaged in where American victory was far from certain.

There have been bleak moments in America s history, battles we were engaged in where American victory was far from certain. I support our troops, wholeheartedly and without reservation. But I cannot support a resolution that simply opposes a new strategy without offering any alternative plan to win. There is too much at stake.

More information

3 rd WORLD CONFERENCE OF SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENT

3 rd WORLD CONFERENCE OF SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENT 3 rd WORLD CONFERENCE OF SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENT United Nations, Geneva, 19 21 July 2010 21 July 2010 DECLARATION ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE Securing global democratic accountability for the common good

More information

Prospects for a Future Role for Erdogan in a New Political System

Prospects for a Future Role for Erdogan in a New Political System Position Paper Prospects for a Future Role for Erdogan in a New Political System Al Jazeera Centre for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 jcforstudies@aljazeera.net http://studies.aljazeera.net Al Jazeera Center

More information

DRAFT REPORT. European Parliament 2016/2308(INI) on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey (2016/2308(INI)) Rapporteur: Kati Piri

DRAFT REPORT. European Parliament 2016/2308(INI) on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey (2016/2308(INI)) Rapporteur: Kati Piri European Parliament 2014-2019 Committee on Foreign Affairs 2016/2308(INI) 18.4.2017 DRAFT REPORT on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey (2016/2308(INI)) Committee on Foreign Affairs Rapporteur: Kati Piri

More information

March 21, President Robert Cohen American Israel Public Affairs Committee 251 H Street NW Washington, D.C Dear Bob,

March 21, President Robert Cohen American Israel Public Affairs Committee 251 H Street NW Washington, D.C Dear Bob, March 21, 2016 President Robert Cohen American Israel Public Affairs Committee 251 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Dear Bob, Here are my remarks as promised. Best, Senator Bernie Sanders Remarks on

More information

Safeguarding Equality

Safeguarding Equality Safeguarding Equality For many Americans, the 9/11 attacks brought to mind memories of the U.S. response to Japan s attack on Pearl Harbor 60 years earlier. Following that assault, the government forced

More information

RAMESH JAURA INTERVIEWS SGI PRESIDENT DAISAKU IKEDA IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

RAMESH JAURA INTERVIEWS SGI PRESIDENT DAISAKU IKEDA IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis DISARMAMENT: 'Let Us Make Nuclear Abolition a Reality' Nuclear Abolition News IDN RAMESH JAURA INTERVIEWS SGI PRESIDENT DAISAKU IKEDA IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis BERLIN (IDN) - A world free of nuclear weapons

More information

Secretary-General s address at the Opening Ceremony of the Munich Security Conference [as delivered]

Secretary-General s address at the Opening Ceremony of the Munich Security Conference [as delivered] 16 February 2018, Munich Secretary-General s address at the Opening Ceremony of the Munich Security Conference [as delivered] Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an enormous pleasure for me to be

More information

icd - institute for cultural diplomacy

icd - institute for cultural diplomacy An International Conference on Peacebuilding, Reconciliation and Globalization in an Interdependent World An International Conference on Peacebuilding, Reconciliation and Globalization in an Interdependent

More information

BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE)

BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE) BAROMETER OF THE ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE (BRIE) 22nd EDITION RESULTS OF NOVEMBER 2009 PRESS SUMMARY Madrid, November 2009 TECHNICAL DATA First Wave Universe: general Spanish population, aged 18 and over.

More information

TEXTS ADOPTED. European Parliament resolution of 12 May 2016 on the Crimean Tatars (2016/2692(RSP))

TEXTS ADOPTED. European Parliament resolution of 12 May 2016 on the Crimean Tatars (2016/2692(RSP)) European Parliament 2014-2019 TEXTS ADOPTED P8_TA(2016)0218 Crimean Tatars European Parliament resolution of 12 May 2016 on the Crimean Tatars (2016/2692(RSP)) The European Parliament, having regard to

More information

Statement Of. His Excellency Hamid Karzai President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. United Nations General Assembly

Statement Of. His Excellency Hamid Karzai President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. United Nations General Assembly Please Check Against Delivery Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations Statement Of His Excellency Hamid Karzai President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan At the 66 th Session of the

More information

2015 Biennial American Survey May, Questionnaire - The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2015 Public Opinion Survey Questionnaire

2015 Biennial American Survey May, Questionnaire - The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2015 Public Opinion Survey Questionnaire 2015 Biennial American Survey May, 2015 - Questionnaire - The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2015 Public Opinion Survey Questionnaire [DISPLAY] In this survey, we d like your opinions about some important

More information